The Nigerian Senate has approved the 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State in its second reading, endorsing a ₦1.481 trillion budget aimed at stabilizing governance and restoring public services under the state’s ongoing emergency rule.
The bill, presented by Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele during Wednesday’s plenary session, follows a Supreme Court ruling that nullified an earlier budget passed by the now-suspended Rivers State House of Assembly.
Covering the remainder of the 2025 fiscal year until December 31, the new budget forms part of a constitutional intervention triggered by President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State amid escalating political unrest and legislative gridlock.
The revised fiscal plan allocates significant funding to critical sectors:
Infrastructure – ₦324 billion
Healthcare – ₦166.5 billion
Education – ₦75.6 billion
Agriculture – ₦32 billion
Youth Empowerment – ₦6.2 billion
Women Affairs – ₦5.2 billion
The Senate noted that the budget will be financed through allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), statutory transfers, VAT proceeds, mineral resources funds, and federal reimbursements.
According to lawmakers, the budget’s core objectives include restoring governance, reviving public services, generating at least 6,000 jobs, and driving economic recovery in the crisis-hit state.
Leading the debate, Senator Bamidele described the appropriation as a strategic move to address the political and administrative vacuum in Rivers.
“We are stepping in to protect the constitutional integrity of governance in Rivers State. This appropriation is a rescue mission to ensure the state does not suffer administrative collapse,” Bamidele stated.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio emphasized the National Assembly’s responsibility to act when governance is threatened.
“This Senate will not stand by while governance suffers in any part of the country. Our actions today demonstrate that commitment,” Akpabio said.
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The bill now proceeds to the committee stage for further scrutiny before a final reading and passage.
Rivers State was placed under emergency rule earlier this year after a protracted political crisis left the state legislature paralyzed. The Supreme Court’s recent judgment invalidating the previously approved state budget prompted urgent federal legislative action to ensure continuity of governance and development.
